TO: Members of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee

FROM: Hilary Chebra, Manager, Government Affairs, CCSNJ

RE:                           S-3963 (Sarlo)

The Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey (CCSNJ) would like to express our support for S-3963 (Sarlo), which temporarily expands summer working hours for certain minors.

As written, the bill would permit minors between the ages of 16 and 18 to work up to 50 hours in a week during the summer period beginning the last day of the minor’s school year and ending on Labor Day. This bill would take effect immediately and expires on September 6, 2021.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are having a significantly difficult time finding employees. Currently, minors who are eligible for employment are restricted by the number of hours that they can work. This bill would lift those restrictions during the summer months, which will enable employers to fill their open positions with students looking for summer employment while also ensuring that there is no conflict with the academic school year.

This bill is particularly important to the shore region, where along with experiencing the hiring challenges shared by the rest of the state, have also struggled to hire due to issues with the J-1 visa program. In previous years, much of the seasonal workforce participated in the J-1 visa program, a program that allows foreign students to obtain temporary work in the United States. Due to the pandemic, the program was pulled back and has been slow to restart. This bill will give shore employers additional workforce options as we head into the busy summer season.  

The CCSNJ commends the sponsors of this bill for generating creative solutions to the hiring crisis businesses are currently facing.

Thank you for the opportunity to share our support of S-3963 (Sarlo).